Automatic discharge device for grinding machines



Sept. 22, 1931. .1. M. KOCH 1,32%159 AUTOMATIC DISCHARGE DEVICE FOR GRINDING MACHINES Filed March 3, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTQR L BY f4; 114% pm;-

rv Q ATTORNEY Sept. 22, 1931.

Filed March 3, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 1, fl Maw/- ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 22, 1931 uNrrao STATES JOHN M. KOCH, OF WYOMISSING, PENNSYLVANIA AUTOMATIC msonanon DEVICE son GRINDING MACHINES Application filed March 3,

My invention relates to automatic discharging devices for grinders and has aparticular reference to mechanisms adapted to automatically remove bars from a centerless grinding machine.

For the continuous operation of centerless grinding machines it is necessary to have workmen on one side of the machine to feed the raw rods, and other workmen on the other side to remove thefinished bars or rods. In my copending application, Serial No; 435,820, filed Mar. 14, 1930, I described an automatic device for feeding rods into the grinding machine, and the present invention refers to an automatic take-out device intended to eliminate the manual labor for removing the finished rods.

The action of grinding wheels-on the rod causes the latter to move longitudinally at a uniform rate of speed. The finished portion of the rod must move with as little friction as possible, preferably on rollers, and cannot be retarded or accelerated so as not to affeet the accuracy of grinding. .The takeout mechanism during this part of the process must he, therefore, inoperative.

At the time, however, when the end of the rod begins to leave the grinding wheel, the propelling action of the wheels ceases, and the rod must be positively pulled until it clears out the housing of the machine. For this purpose in my device rollers are brought under the rod and are turned by a suitable motor thereby moving the rod out of the machine. The rollers are then raised, when the tail end of the rod clears the machine housing, so as to throw the rod to one side of the take-out stand, into a waiting car or suitable receptacle. The rollers are provided with a flange on one side or with a taper so as to roll the rod to one side after it has cleared the guiding rollers.

The operation of the rollers are controlled by the movement of the rod by means of a suitable electric or pneumatic control.

My invention is more fully described in the accompanying specification and drawings in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of my device partly 1931. Serial No. 519,749.

in section, Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2,

1. My device consists of rails .1 supported on threaded rods 2 with nuts 3 resting on top of horizontal rollers 5 in brackets 6 are supported in the slots between the rails 1. These guiding rollers are adapted to support rods 7 which are being ground between grinding less grinding machine. The position of the rails with rollers can be adjusted for rods of different thickness by turning the nuts 3.

Side brackets 10 are also supported on the rails 1 with side guiding rollers 11. brackets. are fastened with bolts 12 and are provided with slotted holes for them so that their position can be adjusted for rods 7 of different thickness.

A frame 13 is attached underneath the rails 1 supportin g my take-out mechanism. It has a horizontal bar 14 with bearings 15 in which slide vertical rods 16 with brackets 17 on top. Shafts 18 of the rollers 19 are journaled in these brackets and are provided with worm gears 20 in mesh with worms 21 on a shaft 22. The brackets 17 have lugs 23 with bearings for the shaft 22. A sprocket 24 is mounted on the shaft 22 and is connected bya chain 25 with a sprocket 26 on the shaft of a motor 27 5 which is mounted on a bottom bar 28 of the frame 13.

The lower ends of the rods 16 rest on cams 29 mounted on a shaft 30 journaled in the bars 13. A gear '31 is mounted on this shaft and is in mesh with a pinion 32 on the shaft of the motor 27.

The cams have four different portions portion or sector 33, concentric with the shaft 30 sector 34, eccentric to the shaft 30 and formtubular posts or standards 4. A number of wheels 8 located in a housing 9 of a center-;

The ct the motor 27, and by wires 43 and 44-with a control switch arm 45 pivoted on a shaft 46 and adapted to be deflected by the rod 7. The free end of this arm operates the middle lever 47 of a control switch against the tension of a spring 48, located between stationary contact arms 49 and 50. A return wire 51 connects the switches with a source of electric current 52 and with the motor 27.

The operation of my device is as follows.

While the rod 7 is being ground in the machine, it keeps the lever 45 deflected, closing the contact points 47 and 50. The earns 29 and 37 remain in their inoperative position as shown with dotted lines at the right of Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2. The arm 39 is pressed by the spring 53 against the arm 41 so that the current is disconnected and the motor stands still, with the rollers 19 in their lowest position where they do not touch the bar 7. The latter rolls freely on the rollers 5 and 11 being pushed by the grinding wheels of the machine.

As soon as the rear end of the rod 7 reaches the end of the grinding wheel 8, it slides from under the lever 45 which swings in its neutral vertical position as shown with dotted lines in Fig. 1,'under action of the spring 48. The lever 47 leaves the contact 50 and engages the contact point 49 thereby closing the circuit for the motor 27 which begins to turn. The cam 29 gradually lifts the rods 16 with the rollers 19 by its rising or eccentric portion 34. The rollers come under the rod 7 lifting same from the rollers 5. The rotation of the rollers 19 will cause the rod 7 to move to the left and away from the machine. The speed of the motor and the gear ratios are so adiusted that the rear end of the rod 7 leaves the housing 9 of the machine while the cams 29 still slide under the rods 16 by their con centric sectors 35.

At the time when the rear end of the rod 7 leaves the housing 9 of the machine, the

hump 36 of the cam 29 lifts the rollers 19 to their highest position as shown with dotted lines Fig. 1 thereby bringing the rod 7 above the edge of the inclined shelves or slides 54 attached to brackets 10 with bolts 55. The rollers or wheels 19 are tapered to the side on which the slides 54 are located thereby causing the rod 7 to roll off on the slides and into a receptacle (notshownl for finished rods.

The position of the slides 54 can be adjusted -to suit rods 7 of different thickness.

After throwing the rod 7 off the machine, the rolls 19 return to their lowest or inoperative position when the cams 29 turn so as to bring their low sectors 34 under the rods '16. But if there is no new rod 7 coming from the grinding wheels 8 and deflecting the lever 47, the motor will automatically stop when the enlarged section 37 of the contact cam moves the arm 39 from the contact point 41 intoengagement with the contact arm 40. As

soon as a new rod 7 engages the arm 45, the motor will start again and will operate, bringing down the rollers 19, until the low portion 38 of the contact cam comes against the arm 39 thereby permitting same to engage the contact arm 41. The motor will then stop until the rear end of the new rod 7 leaves the contact lever 45.

Important advantages of my device are that it providesmeans for automatically removing finished rods from the machine thereby eliminating the necessity to employ labor for this purpose. My device can be used with rods of any ordinary thickness and in any random length, the operation being controlled by one end of the rod only.

- The rollers 19 can be made to be operated by air cylinders instead of an electric motor, the end of the rod 7 operating air valves.

The driving chain or belt 25 is kept tight for all positions of the shaft 21 by an idler 56 on an arm 57 pivoted at 58 and kept under tension by a spring 59.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an automatic discharging device for grinding machines, the combination with rai s adapted to slidably support the work from a grinding machine, means to lift said work from said rails upon completion of the grinding operation, means to direct said work to one side of said rails, and means to control said lifting operation, said controlling means being adapted to be operated by the rear end of said work.

2. In an automatic discharging device for grinding machines, the combination with rails adapted to slidably support the work "in Y the form of rods from a grinding machine,

means to positively pull said work from said machine when the grinding operation istcompleted, means to discharge said work from said rails when said work is pulled away from said machine, and means to control said pulling and said discharging means, said controlling means being adapted to be operated by said work,

8. In an automatic discharging device for grinding machines, the combination with rails adapted to slidably support the work in the form of a rod coming from a grinding machine, adjustable guides for said work, rollers under said work, means to bring said rollers in contact with said rod and to rotate said rollers thereby pulling said rod away from said machine when the grinding operation is substantially completed, and means to control said pulling and said discharging operations, said controlling means being adapted to be operated by said rod.

4. In an automatic discharging device for grinding machines, the combination with rails in coordination with said machine, adiustable guides for the work in the form of rods coming from said machine, said guides being supported on said rails, rollers adapted to engage said work when the grinding operation is substantially completed, means to rotate said rollers therebypulling said work away from said machine, and means to lift and to discharge said work from said guides and from said rollers when said work is pulled away from said machine.

5. In an automatic discharging device for grinding machines, the combination with rails adapted to slidably support the work coming from said machine, rollers adapted to engage said work from underneath when the grinding operation is substantially completed, means to rotate said rollers thereby pulling said work away from said machine, means to raise said rollers when said work is pulled away from said machine, and means to guide said work by gravity from said rails.

6. In an automatic discharging device for grinding machines, the combination with rails adapted to slidably support the work coming from a grinding machine, rollers under said rails, a motor adapted to rotate said rollers, means to bring said rollers in contact with said work thereby pulling said work away from said machine when the grinding operation is practically completed. and means to discharge said work from said rails when the rear end of said work clears the housing of said machine.

7. In an automatic discharging device for grinding machines, the combination with rails adapted to slidably support the work from a grinding machine, rollers under said rails, a motor adapted to rotate said rollers, cams adapted to raise said rollers into engagement with said work when the grinding adapted to rotate said rollers thereby pulling said work away from said machine, means to control the operation of said motor by said work, means to raise said work by said motor above said rails, and-means to guide said work from its raised position to one side of said rails.

9. In an automatic discharging device for grinding machines, the combination with rails adapted to slidably support the work coming from a grinding machine, rollers in a cooperative relation with said work, a motor adapted to rotate said rollers thereby pulling said work away from said machine,

JOHN M. KooH. 

